There are many surgical procedures in which it is necessary to perforate tissue and insert a cannula into an internal organ, body cavity or blood vessel. Such systems have particular utility in cardiac support prior to which it is necessary to bypass the heart to maintain circulation of blood through an external circuit. It is common practice to insert a cannula in a vein or artery by making an incision through the tissue above a vein or artery and in the vessel wall, following which a cannula is sewn in place. There is a considerable amount of time necessary, the attendant loss of blood, and a risk of damaging of the vessel wall.
What is required, therefore, is a cannula introducer system with which a tube may be placed in a body cavity, organ or vessel in the least invasive manner while minimizing the loss of fluids, and which can be inserted with relative ease by a skilled technician or physician without the need for the presence of a surgeon.